The invention relates generally to vehicle systems and, more particularly, to start-stop retrofit systems for retrofitting manufactured vehicles.
Many current motor vehicle systems utilize an internal combustion engine that combusts a fuel in the presence of oxygen in a combustion chamber to generate a power supply for the operation of the motor vehicle, such as a car, boat or aircraft. Once the energy from this combustion process has been harnessed to provide power to the vehicle, the remaining hot gases are generally vented, for example, through the exhaust system of a vehicle. Unfortunately, the combustion process may utilize costly fuel as well as lead to the generation of undesirable byproducts (e.g., emissions).
In an effort to reduce these emissions and improve fuel economy, start-stop systems have been developed as an original equipment manufacturer feature on some new vehicle systems. Such integrated start-stop systems may increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by stopping the engine when the driver, for example, is stopped at a red light or in heavy traffic. Accordingly, such start-stop systems may reduce the amount of time the engine is idling, thus reducing fuel consumption and unwanted emissions. Unfortunately, many vehicles currently being utilized do not include an integral start-stop system, and therefore, may suffer from fuel inefficiently and produce undesirable emission levels.